Whitefly Emergency Declared : Agriculture: Wilson’s action is spurred by crop and job losses caused by the pest dubbed ‘Superbug’ in the Imperial Valley.

Gov. Pete Wilson on Monday declared a state of emergency in Imperial and Riverside counties, where a tiny whitefly that attacks everything from cotton to cauliflower has caused widespread unemployment and millions of dollars in crop losses.

After surveying a field of stunted cantaloupes near El Centro, Wilson proclaimed the poinsettia whitefly invasion a tragedy and said he would ask the federal government to declare Southern California’s agricultural heartland a disaster area.

“The devastation so evident here is a tragedy, for growers and workers, because there is nothing to harvest,” Wilson said after touring the field owned by farmer Ben Abatti, who lost 95% of his $1-million fall melon crop to the voracious bugs.

Imperial Valley growers, who say the whitefly represents the worst natural disaster ever to strike their county, greeted the governor’s announcement with hope and skepticism.

“It’s encouraging that he’s taking an interest and getting us some exposure,” said Don Cox, a Brawley farmer whose alfalfa, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots have been attacked by the whitefly. “But what we really need is some money to work on an answer to this thing. . . . We’re extremely worried about it.”

Scientists say the poinsettia whitefly--dubbed “Superbug” by farmers--is a new strain of the sweet-potato whitefly, a pest that has plagued agriculture for decades. The poinsettia whitefly turned up in Florida greenhouses in 1986 and gradually spread, reaching the fertile southeastern flank of California last winter.

The pest has been blamed for $90 million in crop losses in Riverside and Imperial counties as well as idling an estimated 2,500 Imperial Valley farm workers because of poor harvests and reduced plantings.

The damage is affecting the availability and price of supermarket produce. Imperial and Riverside counties--along with an infested slice of western Arizona--grow the bulk of the nation’s winter vegetables.

Entomologists say the bug damages plants in several ways--by draining them of their life-giving nutrients, coating them with a sticky excretion and transmitting harmful viruses.

Scientists have found no effective weapon against the pest. It is resistant to conventional insecticides, and while a predatory lady beetle has had some success under experimental conditions, its effectiveness in the field is unproven.

On Monday, UC Riverside unveiled plans for a five-year research program aimed at finding the answer to the whitefly, which some experts fear may infest the San Joaquin Valley. The $5.4-million program will include studies of the insect’s biology, research on its relationship with the plants it attacks and a worldwide hunt for a natural predator or parasite.

While Wilson’s disaster proclamation trains the spotlight on victims of the infestation, it is expected to do little more in the near term. Most of the assistance that would be of use to the unemployed farm workers is in the form of low-interest loans and special unemployment insurance dispensed by the federal government.